#VoteThatJawn initiative gets Philly's youth ready to vote

This student driven multimedia initiative even has its own theme song

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — There's a new effort to get Philadelphia's 20,000 18-year-olds registered by Oct. 9 and then to the ballot box this Nov. 6. The initiative even has its own theme song.

Video of Vote That Jawn The Rap

#VoteThatJawn is a student driven, multimedia initiative that aims to activate the first wave of Gen Z to come of voting age.

"They decided they wanted a name that was Philadelphia, that was young and that said, 'What are your issues?'" said Lorene Carey, a writer and lecturer at University of Pennsylvania. She is also the creator of SafeKidsStories.com, an online platform where her creative writing students combine their writing with activism.

"Gen Z is a whole different generation from millennials," said Carey. "They are not telling each other what to do, but they are telling each other to do it."

#VotethatJawn includes a website with an animated instructional video on how to register to vote, cool swag, instructions for teachers and principals on how to activate their first time voters. Carey notes that Gen Z voters have already been active in the community with protests and leading online discussions. #VoteThatJawn and the midterms is the generation's first chance to use their political power.